Person killed by Caltrain near 22nd Street station

Published 8:52 pm, Wednesday, January 24, 2007

2007-01-24 21:52:40 PST -- A person was struck and killed Wednesday night by a southbound Caltrain commuter train traveling out of the city on the tracks that connect San Francisco to the Peninsula.

Few details were known about the individual who was struck at approximately 6:30 p.m. on the tracks in an area one mile south of the 22nd Street station in San Francisco, according to Jonah Weinberg, Caltrain public information officer.

Weinberg said the incident forced closure of the southbound track. Trains traveling in both directions took turns traveling on the northbound track for up to an hour. Regular service on both tracks was restored at approximately 7:30 p.m. Weinberg said.

Thirteen people died on the Caltrain tracks in 2006 -- six were suicides, seven accidents. The most recent reported death occurred October 11 at the Redwood City station.

Preventing deaths along the rail line has been a constant challenge for Caltrain, which travels from San Francisco through the Peninsula in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, ending in Gilroy. The railroad's deadliest year was 1995 when 20 people died on its tracks.

The San Mateo County Transportation Authority announced last year that it was giving Caltrain $7.4 million over three years to install the pedestrian and vehicle barriers at the county's 35 crossings. Another $1.5 million was used in 2006 to install fencing where people tend to illegally cross the rails.